Entry rule for your passport
No visa, but apply online for an eTA before you travel, ideally 2 weeks ahead. Your passport must be valid 6 months after you arrive, with 2 blank pages.
Official sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Who this covers: Full British citizen passports for tourist visits to Kenya. Work, study, business, other British passport types and serving British military personnel need separate checks.
Check your circumstances
Read these conditions alongside the entry rule. Where official guidance does not state a condition, that is not confirmation that no condition applies.
- Passport type Conditions to check
- The UK advice covers full British citizen passports, which need at least 6 months of validity after arrival and 2 blank pages. Serving members of the British military are exempt from the eTA.
Official sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
- Trip purpose Conditions to check
- The eTA covers visits; medical, conference, employment, business and family visits need extra documents, and work needs a Kenyan work permit.
Official sources: Directorate of Immigration Services, Republic of Kenya.
- Age Confirmed for this scope
- All visitors, including infants and children, need their own approved eTA. Parents or guardians are responsible for what is submitted for a minor.
Official sources: Directorate of Immigration Services, Republic of Kenya.
- Residence Conditions to check
- Holders of Kenyan permanent residence, valid work permits, passes or re-entry passes do not need an eTA. The pages read set no rule on where you live when you apply.
Official sources: Directorate of Immigration Services, Republic of Kenya.
- Other visas or residence permits Conditions to check
- If you already hold a valid Kenyan visa, the UK advice says you can keep traveling on it until it expires.
Official sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
- Carrier and arrival route Confirmed for this scope
- Show the approved eTA at departure and on arrival. Passengers changing planes who stay inside the airport do not need one.
Official sources: Directorate of Immigration Services, Republic of Kenya.
- Stay and visa validity Not stated in the cited guidance
- No maximum stay is stated for eTA holders. The visitor pass is issued at entry and can be extended to a maximum of 6 months on application.
Official sources: Directorate of Immigration Services, Republic of Kenya.
Who needs an eTA
Kenya replaced its visa for most travelers with the eTA, and the United Kingdom is not on the list of exempt countries. The UK government says to apply online before you travel, at least 2 weeks ahead as the Kenyan authorities recommend. An eTA is permission to travel, not a guarantee of entry: the immigration officer decides when you arrive.
Official sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Directorate of Immigration Services, Republic of Kenya; Directorate of Immigration Services, Republic of Kenya.
Applying for the eTA
Apply only on the official eTA website, etakenya.go.ke, or the Kenya Travel Authorisation app, with one application per traveler; a group option covers families. Have a passport valid at least 6 months with a blank page, a selfie or passport-type photo, your email and phone number, your arrival and departure plans, a hotel booking and a payment card.
The Directorate of Immigration Services processes applications in about 3 working days and recommends applying at least 2 weeks before you travel. Fees start at USD 30 for normal processing, with expedited processing for an extra USD 100. The fee is not refundable, even if the eTA is refused, and a mistake after submission means a new application and a new fee.
Official sources: Directorate of Immigration Services, Republic of Kenya; Directorate of Immigration Services, Republic of Kenya; Directorate of Immigration Services, Republic of Kenya; Directorate of Immigration Services, Republic of Kenya.
Passport and health insurance
Your passport must expire at least 6 months after the date you arrive and have at least 2 blank pages. From 5 October 2026, most visitors staying under 12 months must hold Kenyan government travel health insurance. You buy it inside the eTA application, or on the eCitizen insurance portal if you already have an eTA. It lasts 90 days and covers multiple entries, and a foreign travel insurance policy does not replace it, though you should still carry cover for your own needs.
Official sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Government of Canada.
Length of stay and extensions
The eTA pages read do not state a maximum stay for eTA holders. Your visitor pass is issued at the point of entry, so check the period the officer grants. Kenya's immigration service says a visitor pass can be extended to a maximum of 6 months, through an online application on its foreign nationals portal made before your permission runs out.
Official sources: Directorate of Immigration Services, Republic of Kenya; Government of Canada.
At the border
Carry the approved eTA, printed or saved on your phone, as it is checked at departure and arrival. If you arrive from a country with a risk of yellow fever, bring a vaccination certificate. Declare anything prohibited or subject to duty at customs.
Official sources: Directorate of Immigration Services, Republic of Kenya; UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Check the linked authorities again before travel; Kenya makes the final entry decision.
Approved by TravPa Editors.